IELTS Writing Task 2 essay with model answer

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic

Many people are choosing to live on their own. Is this a positive or a negative trend?What is your opinion and share your personal experiences?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Model Answer:

Whilst many families used to live together in a single abode in the past, the current generation now shows an inclination to live independently. Some view this as a positive development, whilst others hold a contrary view. My personal experience has allowed me to see both the advantages and disadvantages of living alone, and I believe, on balance, that this is a positive trend.

One clear advantage of living alone is the ability to make independent choices and having personal space which is important as your home is where you would go to relax and destress. As a child growing up in my family home full of relatives, this was a luxury I did not have – even choosing when to study was something not completely up to me as sometimes, lights would have to be switched off early to accommodate a younger sibling’s earlier bedtime. Over time, such a situation may grate on the nerves of all sharing the space, leading to frequent arguments and frayed relationships. When I grew older and left the family home to study abroad, I lived independently in my own studio apartment, and found it to be blissful as I could decide what I wanted to do in my own abode without having to take into consideration other people’s choices. I found myself more relaxed, and indeed, my relationship with my family even improved after I made the choice to live apart.

Another clear advantage of living apart is that I could choose to live closer to my place of work, thereby reducing my travelling time. With job opportunities abounding in different places in the world, it is not realistic to expect the entire family to live together. My sibling and I work and live in different places, and it would require both of us to commute 50 kilometres in different directions daily if we decided to live together ; , an inconvenience that adds almost an hour of commute time for both of us. Living apart in places closer to where our work place and other locations frequently visited is the only practical choice.

Having said that, the disadvantage of living apart is that it is harder to access familial support. As a young student living apart from my family, I frequently felt lonely and missed the company of my family close by. However, this is easily alleviated by making use of technology such as video calls to keep the communication channels open despite the distance. Indeed, visiting each other is easy to do nowadays, with cheap transportation options such as budget airlines and electric trains.

Drawing upon my personal experience and observations, it is clear to me that it is more advantageous to live apart as this improves one’s standard of living with the additional space and ability to make personal choices, and ability to cut commuting time. People who live apart from their families can still make sure the ties are still strong by keeping in touch with frequent phone calls, video calls, and visiting each other often.